USA Issues FMVSS 226 to Help Reduce Occupant Ejection During Crashes and Rollover Events

On January 19, 2011, the USA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published a Final Rule (Docket No. NHTSA-2011-0004), establishing FMVSS 226 - Ejection Mitigation to reduce partial and complete occupant ejection. This new regulation applies to the side windows next to the first three rows of seats, and to a portion of the cargo area behind the first or second rows.

To verify compliance, the NHTSA is adopting a test in which an impactor is propelled from inside the test vehicle toward the side window. The manufacturers' ejection mitigation systems are required to prevent the impactor from moving more than a specified distance beyond the plane of the window. To ensure that the vehicle complies during a crash or rollover event, each side window will be impacted at up to four locations around its perimeter at two different time intervals following deployment.

NHTSA foresees that manufacturers will meet the new requirements by modifying their current side impact air bag curtains and possibly adding advanced glazing. Such curtains will need to be designed to keep the impactor within the boundaries established by the performance test.

If equipped with an ejection mitigation countermeasure that deploys in the event of a rollover, this Final Rule also includes a requirement for a system that monitors its own readiness and has a readiness indicator that must be clearly visible from the driver's designated seating position.

The effective date for FMVSS 226 is March 1, 2011. This new rule adopts a phase-in of the new requirements as follows:

• 25% of vehicles manufactured from Sept 1, 2013 to Aug 31, 2014.
• 50% of vehicles manufactured from Sept 1, 2014 to Aug 31, 2015.
• 75% of vehicles manufactured from Sept 1, 2015 to Aug 31, 2016.
• 100% of vehicles manufactured from Sept 1, 2016 to Aug 31, 2017.
  

FMVSS 226 applies to all motor vehicles with a GVWR less than 10,000 lbs except for walk-in vans, modified roof vehicles and convertibles. There is an exception for altered vehicles and vehicles produced in more than one stage. These vehicles must comply by Sept 1, 2018. Manufacturers can earn credits toward meeting these applicable phase-in percentages by producing compliant vehicles ahead of schedule beginning March 1, 2011, and using them until the conclusion of the phase-in August 31, 2017.

Petitions for reconsideration of the FR must be received by March 7, 2011.